Take Me Away
by Ciel In A Dress
Summary: A series five prequel to series one. The Doctor goes to the 21st century for chips, but gets more than he bargained for.


**A/N: This is pretty much a season five prequel to season one. It would be cooler in episode form than in writing form, but I don't own Doctor Who so I can't make that happen. Pity.**

**Take Me Away**

The loud screeching of the TARDIS landing rang out in a deserted alleyway. The day was dark with fog, and nearby pedestrians were dressed for cold weather.

"Ah, here we are." The Doctor poked his head out the door and checked their location. Having successfully parked, he and Amy left the blue box and began walking. Amy looked around, and wasn't pleased by what she saw, while The Doctor kept on his straight path. Their goal was a little building on the corner of the London street.

"Doctor, what are we doing here?" Amy moaned, skipping after him into a small diner. They sat across from each other at a tiny table next to a window in the cramped place.

"Oh, come on, Amy—this is fun!" The Doctor tapped his fingers on the table gleefully to illustrate his point.

"Where's the fun in a dirty little diner?" Amy peered cautiously at the cracks and mould on the ceiling.

"Chips," he answered. "Everybody needs lunch!" Amy sighed, doubting this place had chips any better than foreign planets in the future. Oblivious to Amy's disappointment, The Doctor lifted a hand in the air and called, "Waitress!" He continued to grin at Amy, who rolled her eyes.

"What year is this, anyway?" Amy asked. She looked around and out the window. It looked like present day London, but she'd been fooled before. The Doctor waved his index finger around, testing the air.

"Hmm… Judging by the scent and quality—"

"Oh, I don't care. Get to the point!" Amy threw her head into her hands and her long hair followed suit. She then wiped her hair out of her face and pouted.

"Bad mood today," The Doctor observed reproachfully. "Alright, then, it's planet Earth, the year two-thousand and—" The Doctor was interrupted again, but not by Amy.

"Can I take your order?" The blonde waitress approached the table and looked at them with boredom clear on her face. The Doctor looked up, and his smile faded. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He stared at the young woman, shocked by the familiar face. Her brown eyes were wide and young, unencumbered by tragedy.

This reaction was not missed by Amy. As she looked between them, she wondered if the waitress was the true reason for them coming to this place. It wasn't, she decided, after noticing the surprise on The Doctor's face. He swallowed nervously, the beginnings of tears in his eyes.

"Chips, please," Amy told the waitress, intervening. The Doctor looked away and blinked a few times, as the woman left to fetch their order.

"Are you alright?" Amy asked, as soon as the waitress was out of earshot. "Who is she?" The Doctor pulled himself together and smiled at Amy. He gently patted her on the head.

"I'm always alright," he told her, answering the easier of the two questions. "I was just a bit overwhelmed for a moment. That caught me by surprise." He gave an honest smile, then stood up and dropped some money on the table. "Come along, Pond," he said. She hurried after him, out of the diner and back to the TARDIS.

"Doctor, wait! Who is she? And what about the chips?"

"I thought you didn't like it here," he accused quietly. Amy stopped, looking around for something to keep them there.

"Well… it's perfectly charming. And besides, the sky looks a bit suspicious," Amy invented, referring to the fog. "We should check it out."

"We can't interfere here. This is my past." The Doctor saw right through to her intentions. He opened the door and stepped into the TARDIS, holding the door open for Amy to follow. "I'm sorry for bringing you here. I should've realised sooner."

"Your past?" Amy asked, confused, following him in and closing the door behind her. The Doctor leapt up to the controls, and began twisting knobs and pulling levers. He let his hands hover for a moment, looking for more buttons to press, then the warping sound began and they were leaving. All of a sudden feeling older, he fell into a chair and Amy came over to sit beside him. She looked at him expectantly.

"This is 2005 and I arrive in three days. I meet her," The Doctor said, in reverie, gazing far away.

"Who is she?" Amy asked for the third time. Again, The Doctor didn't answer, and Amy gave up asking. Once the initial surprise had worn off, he realised he was happy. Seeing his previous companion so bored in her everyday routine made him sure that he really had given her something; he hadn't taken her life away. And though she was gone forever, she had lived first. At least that was more than Rory had.

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><p>The waitress picked up the chips for the couple sitting by the window and left the kitchen to deliver them, but the table was empty. She was irritated for a moment, before noticing money where the man and woman had been. The diner was empty, so Rose Tyler sat down and ate the chips herself, waiting for adventure to come and take her away.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: I am so bored that I re-re-re-re-watched two and a half and a bit and a bit series' of Doctor Who. (Specifically the second and fourth and fifth and first and third, in that order, if you care…) So then, already in Doctor Who mode, the spark of inspiration was a song called Radio/Video by System Of A Down. And thus, this story was born.**


End file.
